Ade Aruna Explained

Ade Aruna
Position:Defensive end
Birth Date:27 April 1994
Birth Place:Akure, Nigeria
Height Ft:6
Height In:5
Weight Lb:263
High School:La Lumiere School
(La Porte, Indiana)
College:Tulane
Draftyear:2018
Draftround:6
Draftpick:218
Pastteams:
Cflstatus:American
Statleague:NFL

Ade Aruna (born April 27, 1994) is a Nigerian professional American football defensive end who is a free agent. He played college football at Tulane, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL draft. He has also been a member of the Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders and BC Lions.

Early life

Born in Nigeria, Aruna moved to the United States during his high school years, initially to pursue a career in basketball.[1]

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Aruna was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round (218th overall) of the 2018 NFL draft.[2] On August 20, 2018, he was placed on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury in the preseason.[3]

Aruna was waived/injured during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019,[4] and reverted to the team's injured reserve list the next day. He was waived from injured reserve with an injury settlement on September 12.

Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders

On December 26, 2019, Aruna was signed to the practice squad of the Oakland Raiders.[5] On December 30, 2019, Aruna was signed to a reserve/future contract. On July 27, 2020, he was waived with a non-football injury designation.[6] He was re-signed on August 8, 2020.[7] Aruna was waived once again on August 25, 2020.[8]

BC Lions

Aruna signed with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League on April 19, 2021.[9] He was placed on the suspended list on July 2, 2021.[10] He was released on February 14, 2023.[11]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Okupa . Francis . April 23, 2018 . Nigeria dominates Africa's 2018 NFL draftee list . May 7, 2018 . ESPN.com.
  2. Web site: 2018 NFL Draft: Minnesota Vikings select Ade Aruna. DailyNorseman.com. April 28, 2018. June 26, 2018.
  3. Web site: Vikings Release Forbath, Place Aruna on IR, Announce Other Moves. Smith, Eric. Vikings.com. August 20, 2018.
  4. Web site: Vikings Announce Roster Moves, Set Initial 53-Man Roster. Vikings.com. August 31, 2019. September 12, 2019.
  5. Web site: Raiders sign DE Ade Aruna to practice squad. Silver and Black Pride. SB Nation. December 26, 2019.
  6. Web site: Raiders claim guard Jordan Roos. Raiders.com. July 27, 2020.
  7. News: Raiders re-sign defensive end Ade Aruna . Raiders.com . August 8, 2020 . August 11, 2020.
  8. Web site: Raiders sign defensive end Sharif Finch. 2020-08-25. Las Vegas Raiders. en-US.
  9. News: Baker, Matt . Lions add three, including former Vikings draft pick Aruna . BCLions.com . April 19, 2021 . April 19, 2021.
  10. Web site: 2021 CFL Transactions . CFL.ca . July 7, 2021.
  11. Web site: Ade Aruna . footballdb.com . January 23, 2024.